Garment hangers



Jan. 8, 1957 w. s. OLPE 2,776,789

GARMENT HANGERS Filed Aug. 22, 1952 INVENTO WERNER G. 01, 5

BY MMgZ/v ATT NEY United States Patent GARMENT HANGERS Werner G. Olpe, Jamaica, N. Y.

Application August 22, 1952, Serial No. 305,785

2 Claims. (Cl. 223-96) This invention relates to a garment hanger for trousers, skirts and other similar garments.

The principal object of this invention is the provision of a garment hanger of the character described which comprises a pair of clamping bars which are adapted to receive a garment between them, a spring frame secured to one of said clamping bars, a spring frame secured to the other clamping bar, said spring frames being adapted in their normal, unsprung positions to hold the-two clamping bars apart, adjustable clamping members on said spring frames which are adapted to bend the spring frames toward each other against their inherent spring tension and thereby to clamp the clamping bars upon the garment, and a hanging hook which is secured to said spring frames for hanging the garment hanger from a suitable support.

The spring frames constitute the keys to the present invention. They are substantially of inverted U-shape, each having a yoke and a pair of legs depending therefrom. The yokes are secured to each other but the legs are free from each other. Excellent spring action is thereby provided between the two spring frames and excellent, twopoint support is thereby given to each clamping bar. The two adjustable clamps, each acting on one leg of one spring frame and the corresponding leg of the other spring frame, afford excellent clamping action through the two clamping bars upon the garment between them.

This construction is not only functionally superior to all other clamping garment hangers known to applicant, but it is also well adapted for low cost, mass production purposes.

Preferred forms of this invention are shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a garment hanger made in accordance with one form of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a garment hanger made in accordance with a second form of this invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a garment hanger made in accordance with a third form of this invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a garment hanger made in accordance with a fourth form of this invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of a garment hanger made in accordance with a fifth form of this invention.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the lower end of one of the legs of the spring frames shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive.

Referring now to Fig. 1, it will be seen that garment hanger 10 comprises the following elements: a pair of trouser or skirt clamping bars 12 and 14 respectively, which are made, preferably, of wood, a pair of spring frames 16 and 18 respectively, a pair of clips 20 and 22 which secure these two frames to each other, a hanging hook 24 which is secured to the two frames, and a pair of slidable clamping members 26 and 28 which are in slidable engagement with the two frames for drawing said frames and the two clamping bars together and thereby clamping the garment between them. The two clamping 2,776,789 Patented Jan. 8, 1957 bars may be provided on their inner, facing sides with felt pads or the like so as to provide a secure gripping action upon the garment without creasing it. All of the parts with the exception of the two clamping bars are made, preferably, of metal wire with sufiicient inherent springiness or resilience to enable the garment hanger to perform in the manner described.

' Clamping bars 12 and 14 are conventional and they are shaped in conventional manner. All of the other elements of the present construction are unconventional.

It will be noted that spring frame 16 is bent to the shape of an inverted U. It is provided with a yoke portion 16a, and a pair of downwardly extending legs 16b and which are connected to the ends of the yoke. Similarly, spring frame 18 comprises a yoke 18a and a pair of depending legs 18b and respectively. Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the lower end of leg 16b and it will there be seen that its lowermost portion is reduced and flattened to provide a spade-like end portion 30 which digs very securely into the wooden clamping bar. All of the legs of all of the forms of this invention may be provided with such flattened end portions, if desired, but more conventional end portions may also be employed for the same purpose.

Yokes 16a and 18a comprise a pair of straight parallel rods which extend longitudinally of the garment hanger, that is, parallel to clamping bars 12 and 14. Clips 20 and 22 extend transversely of said yokes and the ends of said clips are curled around said yokes to hold them securely in place. It will be seen that the yokes are held by these clips in spaced, parallel relationship. Hook 24 is provided with a horizontal portion 24a which extends transversely :of the two yokes and centrally thereof. Welds 32 and 34 secure this horizontal portion of the hook to the two yokes and this construction also helps position the two yokes relative to each other. The hook is so shaped that it bends back for proper centering between the two yokes.

The normal unsprung or relaxed position of the legs of the two spring frames is shown in Fig. 1. It will there be noted that the legs of each frame are inclined toward each other in upward direction and that they diverge in downward direction. When it is desired to support a pair of trousers or a skirt or any other garment between the two clamping bars of this garment hanger, all that need be done is to insert the garment between said clamping bars and then to draw clamping members 26 and 28 downwardly in order to cam the legs of the two spring frames toward each other against their inherent spring tension. When it is desired to release the garment from the garment hanger, clamping elements 26 and 28 are raised to their Fig. 1 positions or even higher and the legs of the hanger and the clamping bars which they support will thereby spring outwardly and away from each other so that the garment will be free.

Clamping elements 26 and 28 may simply be a pair of elongated rings which are slidably mounted on the legs of the two spring frames. These rings may be closed or not, as desired.

An important feature of the above construction is the fact that each clamping bar is secured to the two ends of a single spring frame. In other words, each clamping bar has its own individual spring frame and the two frames are secured to each other at their respective yoke portions. Hence, each clamping ring engages the legs of both spring frames.

Turning now to Fig. 2, it will be seen that garment hanger 40 therein shown is also provided with a pair of spring frames 42 and 44, a pair of clips 46 and 48 which hold said frames together, a pair of clamping rings 50 and 52, and a hanging hook 54. This garment hanger also has a pair of clamping bars secured to said spring frames but they are not shown in the drawing.

It will be seen that each spring frame is provided with a yoke portion and a. pair of depending leg portions. The yokes 42a and 44a of the two frames are held in parallel contact with each other by means of'clips 4'6 and 48. The legs 42b, 44b, 42c and 44c are bent intermediate their upper and lower ends. Theportions-above the bends are inclined toward each other in upward' direction. The portions below the bends diverge slightly fromeach other indownward direction. In their normal, relaxed positions, these legs are spaced from each other, particularly at their lower ends so as to render it a very simple matter to insert a. garment between the clamping bars or to remove a garment therefrom. Elongated clamping rings and 52' are adapted to cam the legs toward each other when said rings are pulled downwardly thereon and the extent to which they are moved downwardly and the thickness of the garment between the clamping bars will determine the pressure which said clamping. bars will be caused to exert against the garment.

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 2 in the sense that its two yoke portions are held in contact with each other. In Fig. 2, clips 46 and 48 secure the two yokes together. In Fig. 4, yokes and 62 are welded together by welds 64'. It will be noted that hook 66 is provided with a horizontal portion 66!: which extends longitudinally of the two yokes. This is also true of horizontal portion 54a of hook 54. Welds 64 which secure yokes 60 and 62 together are the same welds which secure horizontal portion 66a of the hook, and hence the hook itself, to said yokes. Since this is also a construction which is shown in Fig. 2, clips 46 and 48 are, in a sense, auxiliary to the welds which secure book 54 to yokes 42a and 44a and which secure said yokes to each other. It will be understood that the hook need not be provided with a horizontal portion such as portions 540 and 660 above described. It may be secured directly to the two yokes without the aid or assistance of any such horizontal portion.

Garment hanger 68 shown in Fig. 4 is provided with legs 60a and 6011 at the ends of yoke 60 and with legs 62a and 62!) at the ends of yoke 62. These legs diverge from each other in downward direction, that is, legs 60a and 62a diverge from each other and legs 60b and 62b also diverge from each other. Legs 69k: and60b are connected at their lower ends to clamping bar 70' and legs 62a and 62b are secured at their lower ends to clamping bar 72. It will be noted that yokes 60 and 62 are straight parallel rods and all four legs are also straight rods which are integral at their upper ends with the yokes. Clamping rings 74 and'76 are slidably mounted on the legs of garment hanger 68 in order to cam said legs toward each other to cause the clamping bars to exert pressure upon the garment between them. This is done'against their inherent spring tension and when the clamping rings are raised, the legs will spring apart to their Fig. 4 positions.

Garment hanger is shown in Fig. 3. This garment hanger, like the other garment hangers above described, is provided with a pair of clamping bars 82 and 84 respectively. It also has a hook 86 but this hook is not provided with a horizontal portion corresponding to horizontal portions 240, 54a. and 66a above mentioned. Garment hanger 30 has a pair of spring frames 88 and 90 respectively which are arcuate in shape. In other words,

there is no sharply defined yoke and there are no sharply defined legs. Instead, the yoke is continuous with the legs along an arcuate line. In this construction, there is only a single weld 92 which secures the hook 86 to the two spring frames and it is the same weld which secures the spring frames to each other. It will'be seen that the same principle obtains in this garment hanger as in the others above described, namely, the use of'a pair of spring frames which extend longitudinally of the garment 4. hanger, one of said frames being secured at its two lower ends to one of the clamping bars and the other frame being secured at its two lower ends to the other clamping bar. A pair of ring-shaped clamps 94 and 96 are slidably mounted on the two frame members and it will be seen that said frame members tend to diverge in downward direction, in much the same manner as do the legs of the spring frames of the other forms of this invention above described. Hence, when the two rings are moved downwardly, they tend to compress the two frames together against their inherent spring tension and when the two clamping ringsare elevated, the two frames tend to spring outwardly and away from each other to their unsprung or relaxed'positions.

Fig. 5 shows the use of a shoulder bar 100 which is adapted to carry a coat, jacket or any other similar gar ment. A pair of L-shapcd rods 102 and 104 are secured at their upper ends to said shoulder bar and at their lower ends to the yokes of frame members 106 and1'08. The shoulder bar 100 is made of wood and hence the upper ends of rods 102' and 104 need only be dug into said shoulder bar in the same manner that the legs of the garment hanger are dug into its clamping bars. The horizontal portions of said L-shaped rods may be welded to the yokes of the'two spring frames, as Fig. 5 clearly shows. These welds not only secure the L-shaped members to the yokes but they also secure the yokes to each other. It will be noted in Fig. 5 that the horizontal portions of both L-shaped members project in the same direction, that is, leftwardly as viewed in Fig. 5. It will be understood that this is purely illustrative and they may be positioned to project rightwardly or one rightwardly and the other leftwardly, either toward or away from each other. The spring frame construction shown in Fig. 5 resembles that shown in Fig. 2, but this is purely illustrative; since shoulder bar 100 and L-shaped members 1'02 and 104 may be secured to any of the other spring frame constructions shown in the drawing. A conventional hanging hook 110 is secured to the shoulder bar, centrally thereof, for supporting the entire garment hanger from a suitable support.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention and it will clearly be understood that these preferred forms may be modified and otherforms may be provided within the broad spirit of the invention and the broad scope of the claims.

I'claim:

1. A garment hanger comprising a pair of parallel, straight coacting clamping bars, a pair of spring frames of inverted U-shape, each spring frame comprising a straight, continuous yoke and a pair of legs projecting downwardly from the ends of said yoke and secured at their lower ends to one' of said clamping bars, whereby said clamping bars and said yokes are maintained in parallel relation to each other, a hanging hook weldedto the yokes of the two spring frames for supporting the garment hanger from a support, the two spring frames being Welded to each other at their said yokes in fixed relative positions with their yokes in parallel relation to each other and their respective legs projecting downwardly in diverging relation to each other, whereby the two clamping bars are normally maintained in spaced relation to each other, and a pair of slidable clamps, one engaging one leg of one spring frame and the corresponding leg of the other spring frame and the other clamp engaging the opposite legs of the two spring frames, whereby the two clamps maybe moved downwardly to draw the diverging legs together against their inherent spring tension and whereby the clamps may be moved upwardly on said legs to release them for outward movement to their original diverging positions in response to their inherent spring tension.

2. A garment hanger in accordance with claim 1,

wherein clips are provided on the two yokes on opposite sides of the hanging hook towhich they are weldediand in spaced relation to said ba ging hook, said clips being 1,342,265 Johnson "9 June 1, 1920 fixed to said yokes to help maintain them in fixed, parallel 2,591,001 Olpe Apr. 1, 1952 relation to each other. FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited in the file of this patent 5 420,797 France 7, 1911 UNITED STATES PATENTS 736,426 Nagely Aug. 18, 1903 877,945 Neumann Feb. 4, 1908 

